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How big was your pay raise last year?

Safeway Inc.’s CEO Steven Burd saw the value of his compensation rise 5 percent in 2010. Burd’s pay package was worth $9.9 million, up from $9.4 million in 2009.

Brian Roberts, the CEO of cable company Comcast Corp., received a compensation package valued at $31.1 million in 2010. That’s up 14 percent from 2009.

The president of Seattle-based Nordstrom Inc. received a pay package valued at nearly $4.3 million in 2010, up 44 percent from 2009,

I was astounded to read about these three CEO compensation packages on the business pages of The News Tribune last week. Consumers throughout America are being laid off, experiencing furloughs, and having their benefits slashed.

Why are CEO’s salaries rising so rapidly again after the Great Recession while consumers continue daily to struggle?

Well, because CEOs can do what they want.

CEOs run corporations. Through speculation and greed, they nearly ruined the country economically. President Obama, a Democrat, stepped in and saved capitalism.

Now, after the bailouts, the economy is picking up. How are CEOs responding? By giving themselves and their top staffs huge bonuses.

Too bad CEOs aren’t creating jobs.

The compensation increases for these three CEOs last year total $6.74 million. If the money had been used to create jobs, 135 jobs could have been created at $50,000 a year.

Too bad corporate greed continues at the expense of the American working people.

Note: This is a seattlepi.com reader blog. It is not written or edited by the P-I. The authors are solely responsible for content. E-mail us at newmedia@seattlepi.com if you consider a post inappropriate..